Nearly four in ten compensation applications for damage to property sustained in last year’s devastating Limassol wildfire have been rejected, according to information made public on Monday.

The data was provided by Interior Minister Constantinos Ioannou, responding to a formal query submitted by Alma MP Michalis Paraskeva.

According to the minister, of the 863 applications for compensation filed, 536 were approved and 327 denied.

To date, the government has paid out €15.3 million in compensation and other expenses relating to the fires.

Of the total applications processed, 65 people filed objections against the decisions of the special committee appointed by the cabinet to assess the claims. Later, an objections committee reviewed the objections, approving 27 and denying 35. Two objections are still pending review.

The minister said all affected people have been informed in writing, and noted that the decisions of the objections committee are final and irrevocable.

Regarding compensation claims for underinsured structures/premises, 78 cases were examined. Of these, said the minister, 29 were approved and 33 rejected. Additional documentation has been requested for 16 other cases.

In addition, authorities examined seven applications concerning Turkish Cypriot properties, four of which concerned residences, two farming warehouses, and one prefabricated container.

Of the €15.3 million paid out, €10.7 million concerned compensation for actual property damage; the rest concerned other expenses, such as free temporary accommodation in hotels for fire victims, and one-off financial assistance to the community councils in affected areas.

On July 23, 2025, wildfires broke out near the village of Malia during a severe heatwave with temperatures exceeding 44 C. The fires spread rapidly through the Limassol District throughout the day and night, destroying multiple villages and forcing evacuations in over a dozen areas.

A Cypriot couple was killed while fleeing in their vehicle, and multiple others were injured.

Firefighting efforts involved more than 250 personnel and international assistance from Jordan, Spain, Israel, Egypt and the United Kingdom.

Authorities originally suspected arson, with later investigations by the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives International Response Team concluding that the wildfire was likely caused by a carelessly discarded cigarette coming into contact with dry vegetation.

The wildfires laid waste to some 130 square km of land.